Board of Health donates sanitizer refills

The Allamakee County Board of Health was recently given $652 to be used for influenza prevention activities within Allamakee County. This project was supported in part by the Iowa Influenza Prevention Project, a collaboration of Iowa Farm Bureau Federation, Wellmark Blue Cross and Blue Shield and the Iowa Department of Public Health. The Board of Health could not think of any better use of the money than to share it with our community schools and truly help stop the spread of the flu.

In cooperation with the project Veterans Memorial Hospital began last year, the Board of Health donated the Purell instant hand sanitizer refills to each elementary school in Allamakee County, allowing nearly two refills per classroom. Each refill contains 1,000 uses and will take each classroom easily through the rest of this year and into the next.

“The hand sanitizer refills we received are wonderful. We really appreciated the surprise donation,” states Ann Hart, Allamakee Community Schools Elementary Principal. “The kids use them, the staff, everyone uses the dispensers. It has really helped keep the spread of the flu virus down this year, when we compare to past years. And this flu season was a hard one. This latest donation really helped with our expenses, too, and was a welcome surprise.”

The money given for this flu effort was originally earmarked for all Farm Bureau members in Iowa to receive a free flu shot. When the flu vaccine became very limited, those dollars were given by Farm Bureau to the State of Iowa. Allamakee County then received their share of those dollars, totaling $652. With that money, the Board of Health, in cooperation with Veterans Memorial Hospital, was able to buy over 120 hand sanitizer refills. With 1,000 squirts in each use, this effort will help fight the flu in Allamakee County over 12,000 times!

“Good hand washing is everyone’s responsibility since it protects you and the students,” states Karen Burke, RN, Allamakee Community Schools School Nurse. “Children in school are exposed to various viruses. Encouraging and practicing good hand washing and emphasizing hygiene ensures good health.”

Students simply press the dispenser one time to receive one squirt. They rub their hands together for a few seconds until the sanitizer evaporates, and their hands are then 99 percent germ free, even better than using soap and water.